What is the ultimate knife for sushi chefs?

I have seen a guy using a laser for such task and I also saw another guy use a very long slicer for slicing fish very thinly.They were both using just one knife for all their tasks.

So what about it? Which knife is the most utilized by the majority of sushi chefs?Also some of the yanagibas or other long Japanese knives are thick at the base.Would this thickness be a problem when trying to slice thin?

Re: What is the ultimate knife for sushi chefs?

Wed Nov 13, 2013 6:55 am

666 <> The thick based knives you reference are most likely single-bevel knives. They are thicker, but typically have very acute edges that when paired with a single bevel slice thinly quite well by splaying the food to a side rather than "splitting it" like a double-bevel. The geometry is designed on the Yani to do just that... cut off slices. It is designed for that purpose. To try it on maki is not going to work too well. Works, but not well.

In my personal experience, and from all the Sushi guys I've hired & watched over the years... a 240/270 Sujihiki is the all around do-it-in-one. Length depends on board space.

Re: What is the ultimate knife for sushi chefs?

Wed Nov 13, 2013 10:23 am

It depends on the task. I find lasers work best for maki. I use either gyuto or sujihiki. I prefer at least 270mm for gyuto or sujihiki. Yanagiba is best suited for slicing the fish, but I have seen chefs use it for katsuramaki. I prefer 300mm for yanagiba. More edge guarantees completing the cut in 1 pass. As for an ultimate knife that is most versatile maybe a kiritsuke sujihiki at 270mm.

Re: What is the ultimate knife for sushi chefs?

Wed Nov 13, 2013 11:43 pm

Hey Atang!

I have never used kiritsuke knives. Perhaps my lifetime habit of using chef knives... made me dependent on using gyoto, sujiki, or a petty layouts.How does the kiritsuke knives feel??? Is it the Japanese not bending their elbow slicing technique that makes this type of straight knife work?To me the shape edge of kiritsuke seemed always like a knife begging to have a broken tip. Of course I never used one, so I do not know the first thing about daily use of kiritsuke.

Re: What is the ultimate knife for sushi chefs?

Thu Nov 14, 2013 9:43 am

There are 2 types of Kiritsuke's. First is the traditional single bevel and the second is the double bevel gyuto shaped like the profile of the Kiritsuke. Both can have very fragile tips. They have a very flat edge profile, which is nice for chopping/push cutting.

Re: What is the ultimate knife for sushi chefs?

Thu Nov 14, 2013 6:49 pm

From what I understand, A Kiritsuke is a combination between a Yanagiba and an Usuba. Used for slicing fish and vegetables. Similar to how a Mioroshi Deba is a combination between Deba and Yanagiba, a knife to fillet, portion, and slice fish.

Re: What is the ultimate knife for sushi chefs?

Sun Nov 17, 2013 4:29 am

Actually yanagi, usuba and a deba. And yes the tips are exceedingly delicate - begging to get dinged if you don't use them quite carefully. You can differentially grind the heel are to do deba type tasks.Still the traditional kiritsuke is not an all purpose knife for the American kitchen.

Re: What is the ultimate knife for sushi chefs?

Tue Nov 26, 2013 11:12 pm

If you are going to be using single bevel for the first time I would recommend you put a secondary edge on your knives. It will make your edges twice as strong but will still be sharper than double bevel knives